Ovaries Develop an Intriguing Second Role After Menopause

Menopause has long been thought of as a terminal moment for the female reproductive system, when ovaries stop releasing eggs and presumably call it a day.

But this simplified image of ovarian retirement simply isn't holding up, as researchers look closer at what happens to these organs after menopause.

"In the ovary, we reach a point of no return with respect to fertility in which it's no longer producing eggs, and I would venture to say most people assume those ovaries are just sitting there doing nothing, similar to the appendix," says reproductive biologist Francesca Duncan of Northwestern University.

"The ovary is not just a reproductive organ," says proteomics expert Birgit Schilling of the Buck Institute.